%0 Journal Article %J Technology Innovation Management Review %D 2020 %T Project Portfolio Management in the Front-End of Innovation of Research Centers: a Literature Review %A Rui Nuno Castro %A João José Pinto Ferreira %K front-end %K ideation %K innovation %K not-for-profit %K Project Portfolio Management %K research center %X The beginning of an innovation process, also known as “front-end of innovation” (FEI), counts as an essential contributor to the successful development of new products and for their market appeal. Nevertheless, while helpful procedures and techniques for developing new products are well-known and widely applied, FEI is still an understudied area, and models for managing it are not yet commonly used in technology-oriented companies. FEI, also known as "fuzzy front end", can even be "fuzzier" in not-for-profit research centers. That is because the focus of these centers is advancing of scientific knowledge, rather than commercializing the results of those activities. This study summarizes the insights from a literature review on the topic of “project portfolio management” (PPM) in relation to innovation and, more specifically, with FEI and its components of ideation, innovation management, innovation strategy, foresight, and incremental or radical innovation. The authors selected and reviewed content from 170 papers published in SCOPUS prior to February 2019. The discussion uses a theoretical framework called "Front-End of Innovation Integrative Ontology (FEI2O)" to assist in framing the discussion. %B Technology Innovation Management Review %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %V 10 %P 46-59 %8 12/2020 %G eng %U timreview.ca/article/1409 %N 12 %1 Fraunhofer Portugal Rui Nuno Castro holds a degree in Electrical and Computers Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP) since 1996, and a M.Sc. in Digital Communication Systems and Technology from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, in 1999. In 1998-1999 he was a researcher at Ericsson Radio Systems AB in Sweden, where he developed his Master Thesis named “Dynamic Resource Management for Wavelength Division Multiplexing Networks”. Between 2000 and 2004, as a researcher at INESC Porto, he actively participated in several projects in the IST framework. Between 2005 and 2010, he was co-founder and Chief Operations Officer at Nonius Software, a Portuguese SME. In 2010, he joined Fraunhofer Portugal as a researcher. He is, since October 2011, R&D Group Leader at Fraunhofer Portugal. His current research interests are in the field of Innovation and Technology Management. %2 University of Porto João José Pinto Ferreira holds a Licenciatura in Electrical Engineering and Computers at Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP) in 1987; MSc Electrical Engineering and Computers at FEUP in 1991; Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computers at FEUP in 1995; Habilitation in Industrial Engineering and Management in April 2011. He has held several positions at the FEUP: 1987-1995: Assistant Lecturer; 1995-2003: Assistant Professor; 2003-today: Associate Professor. At FEUP (1997-2000) also he was Member of the Executive Board of the Electrical Engineering Department and is, since 2004, the Director of the Master Program of Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship. Has supervised MSc and Ph.D. students in the areas of Electrical Engineering and Computers, Informatics Engineering and Industrial Engineering and Management. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of the Journal of Innovation Management (http://open-jim.org). His research focuses on the Front-End of Innovation and on its synergies with the early stages of the entrepreneurial activity. %& 47 %R http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/1409